Disk recording and/or reproducing apparatus having eject lever contact portion movable from an insertion operation level to a different level at the ejecting operation

ABSTRACT

Disclosed herein is a disk recording and/or reproduction apparatus including, a chassis, a recording and/or reproduction means provided on the chassis so as to perform recording and/or reproduction on a disk cartridge, a cartridge holder movably provided on the chassis to be movable between an insertion/draw-out position for inserting and drawing out the disk cartridge and a recording/reproduction position for recording and/or reproduction on the disk cartridge, an eject lever movably provided on the chassis to be moved between a loading operation finish position for making contact with the disk cartridge when a loading operation for loading the disk cartridge into the cartridge holder is finished and an ejecting operation finish position for making contact with the disk cartridge when an ejecting operation for ejecting the disk cartridge is finished, and a biasing means for biasing the eject lever toward the ejecting operation finish position; wherein the eject lever has a contact portion for contact with the disk cartridge, and, when the eject lever is moved to the ejecting operation finish position, the position of the contact portion is moved to a position higher than the position of the contact portion at the time when the eject lever is located at the loading position.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a disk recording and/or reproduction apparatus in which the feeding out of a disk cartridge by an eject lever can be performed assuredly.

There has been known a disk recording and/or reproduction apparatus in which a disk cartridge is inserted into and discharged from a cartridge holder at a disk cartridge insertion/draw-out position where the cartridge holder is inclined at a predetermined angle against a chassis.

The disk recording and/or reproduction apparatus is so configured that, when the disk cartridge is inserted into the cartridge holder at the disk cartridge insertion/draw-out position, an eject lever is pushed by a tip end surface of the disk cartridge so as to be turned, whereby a biasing force is accumulated in an eject spring.

Then, at the time of ejection, the eject lever is returningly turned by the eject spring so as to discharge the disk cartridge from the cartridge holder (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2003-151200 (paragraph 0018, paragraphs 0031 to 0037, and the like).

Meanwhile, in the disk recording and/or reproduction apparatus in which the insertion and discharge of the disk cartridge are conducted by inclining the cartridge holder at a predetermined angle against the chassis, the disk cartridge is gradually raised while being inclined along the inclination angle of the cartridge holder at the time of discharging the disk cartridge. Therefore, at the time of discharging the disk cartridge, as the eject lever is moved from the loading operation finish position toward the ejecting operation finish position, the contact area between the eject lever and the disk cartridge is gradually moved relatively to the lower side of the tip end surface of the disk cartridge, and, at the ejecting operation finish position, the contact area between the eject lever and the disk cartridge is so low that it is difficult for the eject lever to appropriately push the disk cartridge.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Thus, there is need for solution of the above-mentioned problems involved in the related art and for a disk recording and/or reproduction apparatus in which, even at the ejecting operation finish position, the eject lever can be brought into contact with the disk cartridge at the same height position as that when located at the loading operation finish position.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a disk recording and/or reproduction apparatus including, a chassis, a recording and/or reproduction device provided on the chassis so as to perform recording and/or reproduction on a disk cartridge, a cartridge holder movably provided on the chassis to be movable between an insertion/draw-out position for inserting and drawing out the disk cartridge and a recording/reproduction position for recording and/or reproduction on the disk cartridge, an eject lever movably provided on the chassis to be moved between a loading operation finish position for making contact with the disk cartridge when a loading operation for loading the disk cartridge into the cartridge holder is finished and an ejecting operation finish position for making contact with the disk cartridge when an ejecting operation for ejecting the disk cartridge is finished; and a biasing device for biasing the eject lever toward the ejecting operation finish position wherein the eject lever has a contact portion for contact with the disk cartridge, and, when the eject lever is moved to the ejecting operation finish position, the position of the contact portion is moved to a position higher than the position of the contact portion at the time when the eject lever is located at the loading position.

In the disk recording and/or reproduction apparatus, it is preferable that the eject lever is so configured that the position of the contact portion is gradually raised along the direction from the loading operation finish position toward the ejecting operation finish position.

Preferably, the eject lever is turnably provided on the chassis.

The disk recording and/or reproduction apparatus preferably includes, in addition to the above-mentioned components, a projected portion provided in the chassis and having an inclined surface with an upward gradient toward the ejecting operation finish position, and

the eject lever is mounted on the projected portion and is turned on the projected portion.

Preferably, the cartridge holder is provided so as to be turnable in,the direction of approaching and spacing away from the chassis.

Besides, preferably, the cartridge holder holds the disk cartridge provided with an arcuate surface on the tip end side thereof, and

the contact portion makes contact with the arcuate surface.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a disk recording and/or reproduction apparatus including, a casing, a display portion provided on the front side of the casing, a lid portion provided on the back side of the casing to be turningly openable and closable, a chassis contained in the casing, a recording and/or reproduction device provided on the chassis so as to perform recording and/or reproduction on a disk cartridge, a cartridge holder turnably provided on the chassis to be movable between an insertion/draw-out position for inserting and drawing out the disk cartridge and a recording/reproduction position for recording and/or reproduction on the disk cartridge, in conjunction with the turning operation of the lid portion, an eject lever movably provided on the chassis to be moved between a loading operation finish position for making contact with the disk cartridge when a loading operation for loading the disk cartridge into the cartridge holder is finished and an ejecting operation finish position for making contact with the disk cartridge when an ejecting operation for ejecting the disk cartridge is finished; and a biasing device for biasing the eject lever toward the ejecting operation finish position, wherein the eject lever has a contact portion for contact with the disk cartridge, and, when the eject lever is moved to the ejecting operation finish position, the position of the contact portion is moved to a position higher than the position of the contact portion at the time when the eject lever is located at the loading position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a disk recording and/or reproduction apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the disk recording and/or reproduction apparatus as viewed from the back side.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the disk recording and/or reproduction apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a major part.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a rail form projected portion.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an unlocking device.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing the condition where the unlocking device is mounted in position.

FIG. 8A is a side view showing the condition where a side surface of an operated portion of an eject lever is in contact with an inclined surface portion of the unlocking device, FIG. 8B is a plan view showing the same, and FIG. 8C is a perspective view showing the same.

FIG. 9A is a side view showing the condition where an elastic piece portion has been elastically returned and an engagement portion is in engagement with the lower surface of the operated portion of the eject lever, FIG. 9B is a plan view showing the same, and FIG. 9C is a perspective view showing the same.

FIG. 10A is a side view showing the condition where the lower surface of the operated portion of the eject lever is lifted up by the engagement portion and the locking of the eject lever by the eject lever locking device is canceled, FIG. 10B is a plan view showing the same, and FIG. 10C is a perspective view showing the same.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a disk cartridge (with the shutter closed).

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the disk cartridge as viewed from the back side (with the shutter closed).

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the disk cartridge as viewed from the back side (with the shutter closed).

FIG. 14 is a plan view showing the condition where the shutter is locked.

FIG. 15 is a plan view of a major part showing the condition where the shutter is unlocked.

FIG. 16 is an exploded perspective view showing the condition before mounting the shutter.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing the condition where a shutter movement restriction member is mounted to the shutter.

FIG. 18 is a sectional view of the shutter in the mounted state.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of a disk cartridge which has no shutter.

FIG. 20 is a sectional view showing a step of mounting a spindle motor.

FIG. 21 is a sectional view showing a step of mounting a thread motor.

FIG. 22 is a side view showing the condition where the cartridge holder is set in a cartridge insertion/draw-out position.

FIG. 23 is a plan view showing the condition before the eject lever is pushed.

FIG. 24 is a plan view showing the condition after the eject lever is pushed.

FIG. 25 is a perspective view of an electronic apparatus.

FIG. 26 is a perspective view of the electronic apparatus as viewed from the back side.

FIG. 27 is a perspective view of the condition where a lid portion is opened.

FIG. 28A is a side view showing the condition where the eject lever is located at a loading operation finish position, and FIG. 28B is a plan view of the same.

FIG. 29A is a side view showing the condition where the eject lever is located between the loading operation finish position and an ejecting operation finish position, and FIG. 29B is a plan view of the same.

FIG. 30A is a side view showing the condition where the eject lever is located at the ejecting operation finish position, and FIG. 30B is a plan view of the same.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Now, the disk recording and/or reproduction apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below, in the order of (1) general configuration of the apparatus as a whole and configuration of an essential part, (2) configuration of the eject lever (3) configuration of the disk cartridge, (4) configuration of the cartridge holder, (5) configuration of the chassis, (6) configuration of the recording and/or reproduction device, (7) configuration of the biasing device and the eject lever locking device, (8) configuration of the unlocking device, (9) other configuration.

(1) General Configurations of the Apparatus as a Whole and Essential Part of the Same

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the disk recording and/or reproduction apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the same as viewed from the back side, and FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the same. The disk recording and/or reproduction apparatus 101 includes a cartridge holder 102 for holding a disk cartridge 1 inserted therein, a chassis 103 supporting the cartridge holder 102 movably between a cartridge insertion/draw-out position and a recording/reproduction position, a recording and/or reproduction device 104 provided on the chassis 103 so as to perform recording and/or reproduction on the disk cartridge 1, an eject lever 105 provided on the chassis 103 to be capable of turning movement (hereinafter, referred to simply as turning) in the insertion/draw-out direction of the disk cartridge 1 and be movable toward and away from the chassis 103 so as to be turned by being pushed by the disk cartridge 1 being inserted into the cartridge holder 102, a biasing device 106 exerting a turning force in the disk cartridge discharging direction and a biasing force toward the chassis 103 on the eject lever 105, an eject lever locking device 107 locking to the chassis 103 the eject lever 105 which has been turned by the insertion of the disk cartridge 1, and an unlocking device 108 for canceling the locking of the eject lever 105 by the eject lever locking device 107 when the cartridge holder 102 is turned from the recording/reproduction position to the cartridge insertion/draw-out position.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the eject lever 105 is mounted on a rail-like projected portion 251 provided in the chassis 103. The rail-like projected portion 251 is provided at its upper surface with an inclined surface portion 251 a, and first and second flat surface portions 251 b and 251 c on the opposite sides of the inclined surface portion 251 a so that, when the eject lever 105 is turned from the loading operation finish position toward the ejecting operation finish position, the inclined surface portion 251 a gradually raise the contact portion (hereinafter referred to as the pushed portion) present at the tip end of the eject lever 105 for contact with the disk cartridge 1.

(2) Configuration of Eject Lever

The eject lever 105, at the time of insertion of the disk cartridge 1, is pushed by a front surface 3 a of the cartridge body 3 to turn against the biasing force of the biasing device 106 (described below), is locked by the eject lever locking device 107 (described later) to be incapable of return turning. After the recording and/or reproduction is finished, the eject lever 105 is released from the locking by the eject lever locking device 107 by the unlocking device 108 (detailed later), and is returningly turned by the biasing force of the biasing device 106, to discharge the disk cartridge 1 from the cartridge holder 102.

As shown in FIG. 3, the eject lever 105 includes a roughly V-shaped flat plate-like main portion 105 a to be laid on the upper surface of the chassis 103, the pushed portion (contact portion) 105 c provided on one end side of the flat plate-like main portion 105 a with an arm portion 105 b therebetween and pushed by the front surface 3 a of the cartridge body 3, a bearing hole 105 d provided on the other end side of the flat plate-like main portion 105 a, and an operated portion 105 e provided at a position roughly symmetrical with the pushed portion 105 c with the bearing hole 105 d therebetween and undergoes an unlocking operation by an eject lever operating portion 108 d of the unlocking device 108. The pushed portion 105 c is provided at its lower surface with a projected portion 105 p to be mounted on the upper surface of the rail form projected portion 251.

The eject lever 105 is turnably mounted to the chassis 103 by a shaft 105 f in the condition where its flat plate-like main portion 105 a is mounted on the rail form projected portion 251 possessed by the chassis 103. Then, a central portion of the front surface 3 a of the cartridge body 3 of the disk cartridge 1 being inserted into the cartridge holder 102 abuts on the pushed portion 105 c. In addition, the eject lever 105 is mounted to the upper surface of the chassis 103 by the shaft 105 f so that its flat plate-like main portion 105 a can be lifted up to a position where the locking by the eject lever locking device 107 can be canceled.

The eject lever 105 is configured as above-mentioned. When the disk cartridge 1 is inserted into the cartridge holder 102 in the cartridge insertion/draw-out position (in the condition where the cartridge holder 102 is inclined at a predetermined inclination angle θ against the chassis 103) as shown in FIG. 22, the pushed portion 105 c is pushed by the front surface 3 a of the cartridge body 3 to turn against the biasing force of the biasing device 106 (described below) as shown in FIG. 23. When the disk cartridge 1 is entirely contained in the cartridge holder 102, the eject lever locking device 107 (described below) is engaged with the outside surface 105 j of the pushed portion 105 e as shown in FIG. 24 to achieve such a locking that the eject lever 105 is incapable of return turning, and, as a result, the cartridge holder 102 is maintained in the state of being incapable of return turning even when the cartridge holder 102 is turned to the recording/reproduction position. When the cartridge holder 102 is turned from the recording/reproduction position to the cartridge insertion/draw-out position after the recording and/or reproduction is finished, the locking of the eject lever 105 by the eject lever locking device 107 is canceled by the unlocking device 108, as shown in FIG. 10. Therefore, the eject lever 105 is returningly turned by the biasing force of the biasing device 106, to discharge the disk cartridge 1 from the cartridge holder 102.

(3) Configuration of the Disk Cartridge

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the disk cartridge 1 as viewed from the upper half side, FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the disk cartridge 1 as viewed from the lower half side, and FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the disk cartridge 1 in the condition where a recording and/or reproduction opening portion is opened by sliding a shutter member.

The disk cartridge 1 includes a disc-shaped recording medium 2, a cartridge body 3 rotatably containing the disc-shaped recording medium 2 in a circular disk containing portion thereof and provided with a recording and/or reproduction opening portion 34 for causing a part of the disc-shaped recording medium 2 to front on the exterior, a shutter member 4 mounted to the cartridge body 3 so as to be movable between a position for closing the recording and/or reproduction opening portion 34 and a position for opening the recording and/or reproduction opening portion 34, a shutter movement restriction member 5 (see FIG. 16) for restricting the movement of the shutter member 4 in the direction for opening the recording and/or reproduction opening portion 34 by engaging with a movement restriction portion 3 e provided in the cartridge body 3 when the shutter member 4 is located at the position for closing the recording and/or reproduction opening portion 34, a biasing member 6 biasing the shutter movement restriction member 5 in the direction for engaging with the movement restriction portion 3 e provided in the cartridge body 3, and a deformation preventive portion 7 for preventing the biasing member 6 from being deformed by an external force.

The biasing member 6 has an extension piece 6 a extended from one side of the shutter member 4, and an elastic displacement piece 6 c formed by folding back so as to be superposed on the inside of the extension piece 6 a via a fold-back portion 6 b provided at a tip end portion of the extension piece 6 a.

The deformation preventive member 7 is disposed on the back side of the tip end portion of the biasing member 6, and supports the biasing member 6 from the back side, thereby preventing the biasing member 6 from being deformed by an external force.

As shown in FIG. 14, in the condition where the shutter member 4 is closing the recording and/or reproduction opening portion 34, the biasing member 6 pushes a pushed portion 57 provided on one end side of the shutter movement restriction member 5, by a tip end portion of the elastic displacement piece 6 c, so as to turn the shutter movement restriction member 5 clockwise about a mount shaft 8, whereby an engagement portion 58 provided on the other end side of the shutter movement restriction member 5 is located at such a position as to be capable of engagement with the movement restriction portion 3 e provided in the cartridge body 3. When it is tried to move the shutter member 4 in the direction for opening the recording and/or reproduction opening portion 34 under this condition, the engagement portion 58 provided on the other end side of the shutter movement restriction member 5 is engaged with the movement restriction portion 3 e provided in the cartridge body 3, to inhibit the movement of the shutter member 4. When the pushed portion 57 is pushed against the projected portion 117 of the shutter unlocking member 116 provided at the second side plate 102 c of the cartridge holder 102 (which will be described next) against the biasing force of the elastic displacement piece 6 c, the shutter movement restriction member 5 is turned counterclockwise about the mount shaft 8, as shown in FIG. 15, to release the engagement portion 58 to such a position as to be incapable of engagement with the movement restriction portion 3 e, thereby permitting the shutter member 4 to move in the direction for opening the recording and/or reproduction opening portion 34.

Now, the disc-shaped recording medium 2, the cartridge body 3, the shutter member 4, the shutter movement restriction member 5, the biasing member 6, and the deformation preventive member 7 will be described in detail below.

As shown in FIG. 11, the disc-shaped recording medium 2 has a chucking hub 22 attached to a central portion of an optical disk 21 on which a game software or the like is recorded. The optical disk 21 is formed to have a small diameter of about 50 mm. The chucking hub 22 is formed of a magnetic metal, such as stainless steel, which is attracted by magnets.

The cartridge body 3 has upper and lower halves 31, 32 whose peripheral walls 31 a, 32 a are abutted on each other. As shown in FIG. 14, arcuate ribs 31 b, 32 b for forming a disk containing portion are provided on the inside of the peripheral walls 31 a, 32 a.

As shown in FIG. 13, of the cartridge body 3, a front surface 3 a (a side surface on the side of an insertion end for insertion into the disk recording and/or reproduction apparatus which will be described later) is formed as an arcuate surface (semi-circular surface) having a radius of curvature roughly equal to that of the optical disk 21, left and right surfaces (hereinafter referred to as the first side surface and the second side surface) 3 b, 3 c continuous with the front surface 3 a are formed as flat surfaces parallel to each other, and a rear surface 3 d opposite to the front surface 3 a is formed as a curved surface curved gradually in continuity with the first and second side surfaces 3 b, 3 c.

The lower half 32 is provided in its central portion with a drive opening portion 33 through which the hub 22 of the disc-shaped recording medium 2 fronts on the exterior. In addition, the recording and/or reproduction opening portion 34 through which the information recording surface of the optical disk 21 of the disc-shaped recording medium 2 fronts on the exterior is provided in the range from the vicinity of the drive opening portion 33 to the second side surface 3 c.

The hub 22 of the disc-shaped recording medium 2 is magnetically chucked onto a disk table 170 of the disk recording and/or reproduction apparatus 101, through the drive opening portion 33. Besides, recording and/or reproduction of information is performed on the optical disk 21 of the disc-shaped recording medium 2 by an optical pickup 152 of the disk recording and/or reproduction apparatus 101, through the recording and/or reproduction opening portion 34.

A recessed form step portion (hereinafter referred to as a first hollow portion) 35 is provided in the range from the outside surface 32 c of the lower half 32 to the peripheral wall of the second side surface 3 c. The first hollow portion 35 is for mounting the shutter member 4 (which will be described next) without causing the shutter member 4 to protrude from the outside surface 32 b of the lower half 32 and the second side surface 3 c, more specifically, for mounting the shutter member 4 in the state of being flush with the outside surface 32 c of the lower half 32 and the outside surface of the peripheral wall on the side of the second side surface 3 c, and is for restricting the moving range of the shutter member 4.

An end portion, on the side of the drive opening portion 33, of the first hollow portion 35 is a second hollow portion 36 deeper than the first hollow portion 35. A folded-back portion 44 a provided at the tip end of a port opening/closing portion 44 of the shutter member 4 which will be described next is inserted in the second hollow portion 36. Of the second hollow portion 36, the upper side of the folded-back portion 4 a is closed by a shutter guide plate 37 mounted to the lower half 32. In addition, the shutter guide plate 37 prevents the folded-back portion 44 a at the tip end of the port opening/closing portion 44 from turning up. Incidentally, the shutter guide plate 37 is also mounted to the lower half 32 in the state of being flush with the outside surface of the lower half 32.

As shown in FIG. 16, the upper half 31 is provided, in its peripheral wall 31 a on the side of the second side surface 3 c, with a guide groove 38 extending in the moving direction of the shutter member 4. In addition, the peripheral wall 32 a of the lower half 32 is eliminated on the side of the second side surface 3 c, to form a shutter member guide opening portion 39 between the lower half 32 and the peripheral wall 31 a, on the side of the second side surface 3 c, of the upper half 31.

Besides, an unlocking member introduction groove 40 continuous with the shutter member guide opening portion 39 is formed in the range from the second side surface 3 c to the front surface 3 a of the cartridge body 3. In addition, the other side surface of the cartridge body 3, i.e., the first side surface 3 b is provided with a function expansion groove 41. Besides, as shown in FIG. 13, the outside surface, on the side of the front surface 3 a, of the lower half 32 is provided with a pair of positioning holes 42, 43.

As shown in FIG. 16, the shutter member 4 includes the flat plate-like port opening/closing portion 44 for opening and closing the recording and/or reproduction opening portion 34, and a mounting portion 45 for mounting the port opening/closing portion 44 onto the cartridge body 3 in the state of being superposed on the first hollow portion 35 of the lower half 32 so that the port opening/closing portion 44 is movable between a position for opening the recording and/or reproduction opening portion 34 and a position for closing the recording and/or reproduction opening portion 34.

The mounting portion 45 includes a first movement guide piece 46 formed by bending roughly perpendicularly one end side of the port opening/closing portion 44, and second movement guide pieces 47 formed by bending tip end portions of the first movement guide piece 46 roughly perpendicularly in the same direction as the port opening/closing portion 44.

The first movement guide piece 46 is provided in its central portion with a pushing operative opening portion 48 on which the pushed portion 57 of the shutter movement restriction member 5 which will be detailed below fronts. The first movement guide piece 46 is provided, at its both end portions in the shutter movement direction and roughly central portions in the thickness direction of the cartridge body 3, with third and fourth movement guide pieces 49, 50 roughly parallel to the second movement guide pieces 47. The third and fourth movement guide pieces 49, 50 are provided at their tip end portions with slip-off preventive pieces 51 a, 51 b extending in the direction away from the port opening/closing portion 44. In addition, a boss-like shaft portion 52 for turnably mounting the shutter movement restriction member 5 is provided on the lower surface of the fourth movement guide piece 50. Besides, the port opening/closing portion 44 is provided, at its end portion on the opposite side of the mounting portion 45, with a turn-up preventive folded portion 44 a. The shutter member 4 is formed by bending a metal sheet blanked into a predetermined shape.

As shown in FIG. 18, the shutter member 4 is slidably mounted to the side of the second side surface 3 c of the cartridge body 3 by a method in which the second movement guide pieces 47 are inserted into the guide groove 38 provided in the upper half 31 in the condition where the first movement guide piece 46 is laid in the inside of the unlocking member introduction groove 40 in the second side surface 3 c of the cartridge body 3, the third and fourth movement guide pieces 49, 50 are inserted into the cartridge body 3 through the shutter member guide opening portion 39, the slip-off preventive piece 51 a provided at the tip end of the third movement guide piece 49 is engaged with the groove 32 e provided in the bottom surface of the peripheral wall 31 a of the upper half 31, and the slip-off preventive piece 51 b provided at the tip end of the fourth movement guide piece 50 is engaged with the inside surface 32 f of the peripheral wall 31 a of the upper half 31.

As shown in FIG. 12, when the shutter member 4 is slid to the side of the front surface 3 a of the cartridge body 3, the port opening/closing portion 44 of the shutter member 4 closes the recording and/or reproduction opening portion 34. In addition, as shown in FIG. 13, when the shutter member 4 is slid to the side of the front surface 3 a of the cartridge body 3, the recording and/or reproduction opening portion 34 is opened.

As shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, the shutter movement restriction member 5 includes a flat plate-like body portion 56 provided with a bearing hole 55 in its central portion, a pushed portion 57 provided at one end portion of the body portion 56, and an engagement portion 58 provided at the other end portion of the body portion 56, and the body portion 56 is provided with a turning inhibitive projected portion 59 at its end portion on the side of the pushed portion 57. The pushed portion 57 and the engagement portion 58 are formed by bending one end portion and the other end portion of the body portion 56 roughly perpendicularly in the same direction. The shutter movement restriction member 5 is formed by bending a metal sheet blanked into a predetermined shape.

The shutter movement restriction member 5 is turnably mounted to the fourth movement guide piece 50 by a method in which the boss-like shaft portion 52 provided on the fourth movement guide piece 50 of the shutter member 4 is inserted into the bearing hole 55. When the shutter movement restriction member 5 is turned until the turning inhibitive projected portion 59 abuts on the inside surface of the first movement guide piece 46 of the shutter member 4, the pushed portion 56 fronts on the pushing operative opening portion 48 provided in the central portion of the first movement guide piece 46 of the shutter member 4 as shown in FIG. 13, and the engagement portion 58 becomes engageable with the movement restriction portion 3 e provided in the cartridge body 3 as shown in FIG. 14, whereby movement of the shutter body 4 is inhibited.

As has been described above, the biasing member 6 includes the extension piece 6 a extended from one side of the shutter member 4, and the elastic displacement piece 6 c formed by folding back through the fold-back portion 6 b provided at the tip end portion of the extension piece 6 a. (see FIG. 16)

The extension piece 6 a is so bent as to enter into the cartridge body 3 via the shutter member guide opening portion 39 when the shutter member 4 is mounted onto the cartridge body 3. The elastic displacement piece 6 c is folded back in the state of being so bent as to lie on the inside surface of the extension piece 6 c, and its tip end portion pushes the pushed portion 57 provided on one end side of the shutter movement restriction member 5, whereby the pushed portion 57 is made to front on the pushing operative opening portion 48 provided in the central portion of the first movement guide piece 46 of the shutter member 4. The extension piece 6 a makes it possible to adjust the spring constant of the biasing member 6 by enlarging the length of the elastic displacement piece 6 c.

Incidentally, FIG. 19 shows another embodiment of the disk cartridge. In this embodiment, the disk cartridge 1A has a so-called shutterless structure which is not provided with a shutter member 4. The other configurations are roughly the same as in the disk cartridge 1 having the shutter member 4, and, therefore, description thereof is omitted.

(4) Configuration of the Cartridge Holder

As shown in FIG. 3, the cartridge holder 102 includes a roughly square upper plate (top plate) 102 a, left and right side plates (hereinafter referred to as first and second side plates) 102 b, 102 c formed by bending both left and right side portions of the upper plate 102 a downwards roughly perpendicularly, a left-right pair of cartridge support portions 102 d, 102 e formed by bending the lower ends of the first and second side plates 102 b, 102 c roughly perpendicularly to the inside and being operative to support both left and right side portions of the lower surface of the disk cartridge 1 inserted, and receiving surface portions 102 f, 102 g formed by bending the front edges of the cartridge support portions 102 d, 102 e downwards. The upper plate 102 a, the first and second side plates 102 b, 102 c, the left-right pair of cartridge support portions 102 d, 102 e and the like define an insertion port 102 k for the disk cartridge 1 and a containing portion continuous with the insertion portion 102 k. In addition, a bridge plate 102 m is so mounted as to bridge the left-right pair of cartridge support portions 102 d, 102 e at a position near the insertion port 102 k. The bridge plate 102 m functions to reinforce the pair of cartridge support portions 102 d, 102 e against easy deformation and to prevent the disk cartridge 1 from flying out from between the pair of cartridge support portions 102 d, 102 e.

The upper plate 102 a is provided in its central portion with a hexagonal opening portion 111 by blanking. The opening portion 111 is provided for reducing the weight of the cartridge holder 102.

A left-right pair of first and second leaf springs 112, 113 are provided at both left and right side portions of the opening portion 111. The first and second leaf springs 112, 113 are so bent as to enter into the containing portion, and pushes the upper surface of the disk cartridge 1 inserted in the containing portion to push the disk cartridge 1 against the cartridge support portions 102 d, 102 e. In addition, a left-right pair of third and fourth leaf springs 114, 115 are provided on the front end side of the opening portion 111. The third and fourth leaf springs 114, 115 are bent toward the upper side of the upper plate 102 a, to make it possible to perform easily the insertion, mounting or the like of the cartridge holder 102 into, for example, a cartridge holder containing portion of an electronic apparatus. The first to fourth leaf springs 112 to 115 are formed by blanking parts of the upper plate 102 a of the disk cartridge 1.

A recessed form unlocking device mount portion 102 h is formed in a space portion between the second leaf spring 113 and the second side plate 102 c of the cartridge holder 102 and between the arcuate front surface 3 a of the disk cartridge 1 inserted in the cartridge holder 102 and the second side plate 102 c of the cartridge holder 102, which space portion is a so-called dead space. As shown in FIG. 7, two hollow cylindrical boss-like projections 102 n are provided on the second side plate 102 c of the cartridge holder 102 fronting on the unlocking device mount portion 102 h. The unlocking device 108 is mounted to a roughly triangular dead space defined by the disk cartridge 1 inserted in the cartridge holder 102 and the arcuate front surface 3 a and the side surface 3 c of the cartridge body 3, by a method in which the boss-like projections 102 n are inserted into projection fitting holes 108 g provided in the mount portion 108 a, a superposition portion 108 b is superposed on the upper surface of the unlocking device mount portion 102 h, the elastic piece portion 108 c and an eject lever operating portion 108 d are inserted into the cartridge holder 102, and tip end portions of the boss-like projections 102 n are enlarged in diameter by caulking.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, the unlocking member 116 is formed of a leaf spring material, and, like the mount portion 108 a of the unlocking device 108, its one end portion side in the longitudinal direction is fastened to the second side plate 102 c of the cartridge holder 102 by the boss-like projections 102 n provided on the second side plate 102 c of the cartridge holder 102. The unlocking member 116 extends along the second side plate 102 c of the cartridge holder 102 into the vicinity of the cartridge insertion port 102 k, and its projected portion 117 enters into the cartridge holder 102 through an opening portion 118 provided in the second side plate 102 c of the cartridge holder 102. In the condition where the disk cartridge 1 is entirely contained in the cartridge holder 102, the projected portion 117 at the tip end of the unlocking member 116 pushes an operated portion 57 of the shutter movement restriction member 5 to unlock the shutter member 4, as shown in FIG. 15.

The left-right pair of cartridge support portions 102 d, 102 e of the cartridge holder 102 are provided with a pair of positioning holes 119, and positioning pins 120 provided on the chassis 103 which will be described below are inserted in the pair of positioning holes 119.

In addition, the first and second side plates 102 b, 102 c of the cartridge holder 102 are provided, at their end portions on the opposite side of the cartridge insertion port, with bearing holes 121, 122 for turnably mounting the cartridge holder 102 to the chassis 103 which will be described next.

(5) Configuration of the Chassis

As shown in FIG. 3, the chassis 103 is formed in a roughly tetragonal shape from a metal sheet. The chassis 103 is provided with damper mount portions 131 at the four corner portions thereof, and rubber-made dampers 132 are mounted to the damper mount portions 131. A pair of bearing portions 135, 136 for turnably mounting the cartridge holder 102 are provided on one end side of the left and right side portions of the chassis 103, and shafts 137 provided on the inside surfaces of the bearing portions 135, 136 are inserted in the bearing holes 121, 122 of the cartridge holder 102, whereby the cartridge holder 102 is supported to be turnable between the cartridge insertion/draw-out position and the recording/reproduction position.

The chassis 103 is provided at its upper surface with the rail form projected portion 251. The rail form projected portion 251 is provided in a roughly arcuate shape, with the shaft 105 f of the eject lever 105 as a center of circle.

When the eject lever 105 is located at the loading operation finish position, a rail abutment portion 105 p provided in the eject lever 105 is located on the first flat surface 251 b, as shown in FIG. 28. When the eject lever 105 is moved from the loading operation finish position toward the ejecting operation finish position, the rail abutment portion 105 p provided in the eject lever 105 is moved on the inclined surface 251 a, as shown in FIG. 29. Then, when the eject lever 105 is moved to the ejecting operation finish position, the rail abutment portion 105 p provided in the eject lever 105 is located on the second flat surface 251 c, as shown in FIG. 30. Incidentally, the inclination angle of the inclined surface 251 a is determined by taking into account the inclination angle in the range from the recording/reproduction position to the cartridge insertion/draw-out position of the cartridge holder 102, or the amount of step between the height of the disk cartridge 1 at the time when the eject lever 105 is located in the loading operation finish position and the height of the disk cartridge 1 at the time when the eject lever 105 is located in the ejecting operation finish position.

(6) Configuration of the Recording and/or Reproduction Device

As shown in FIG. 3, the recording and/or reproduction device 104 includes a spindle motor 151 for rotating the disc-shaped recording medium 2 of the disk cartridge 1, an optical pickup 152 for recording and/or reproduction of information on the disc-shaped recording medium 2, and a thread motor 153 for driving the optical pickup 152.

As shown in FIG. 20, the spindle motor 151 includes a synthetic resin stator substrate 161 outsert molded on a spindle motor stator substrate forming hole (hereinafter referred to as the first stator substrate forming hole) 141 provided in the chassis 103, a tubular bearing portion 161 a integrally molded on the upper surface of the stator substrate 161, bearings 162 attached to the inner periphery of the bearing portion 161 a, a wiring plate 164 mounted on the stator substrate 161 with the tubular bearing portion 161 a inserted in a central hole 163 thereof, an iron core coil 165 attached to the outer periphery portion of the tubular bearing portion 161 a, and a rotor assembly 167 rotatably mounted with the tip end of a rotational center shaft 166 inserted in the bearings 162. A rotor magnet 168 paired with the iron core coil 165 is attached to the inner peripheral surface of the rotor assembly 167, and a disk table 170 for magnetically chucking the hub 22 of the disc-shaped recording medium 2 by a chucking magnet 169 is mounted to the upper surface of the rotor assembly 167.

As shown in FIG. 3, the optical pickup 152 includes an objective lens drive 171, and a carriage 172 for moving the objective lens drive 171 in the radial direction of the disc-shaped recording medium 2.

The carriage 172 includes a first bearing portion 173 and a second bearing portion 174. A lead screw 175 is attached to the first bearing portion 173. In addition, a guide portion 176 is attached to the second bearing portion 174.

The lead screw 174 is rotatably supported by a pair of bearings 177 on the lower side of the chassis 103. Besides, the guide portion 176 is formed integral with the chassis 103 by outsert molding.

A worm gear 181 is mounted to one end portion of the lead screw 175. As shown in FIG. 2, the worm gear 181 is meshed with a third gear 183 rotatably mounted to the lower surface of the chassis 103 through a shaft 182.

The third gear 183 is provided at its lower end portion with a second gear 184 which is greater in diameter than the third gear 183 and is coaxial with the third gear 183. The second gear 184 is rotatingly driven by the thread motor 153 through a first gear 185 which will be described below.

As shown in FIG. 21, the thread motor 153 includes a thread motor stator substrate forming hole (hereinafter referred to as the second stator substrate forming hole) 142 provided in the chassis 103, a tubular bearing portion 191 a integrally molded on the upper surface of the stator substrate 191, bearings 192 attached to the inner periphery of the bearing portion 191 a, a wiring plate 194 mounted on the stator substrate 191 with the tubular bearing portion 191 a inserted in a central hole 193 thereof, an iron core coil 195 mounted to an outer peripheral portion of the tubular bearing portion 191 a, and a rotor assembly 197 rotatably mounted with the tip end of a rotational center shaft 196 inserted in the bearing 192. A rotor magnet 198 paired with the iron core coil 195 is mounted to the inner peripheral surface of the rotor assembly 167, and the first gear 195 is mounted on the lower surface of the rotor assembly 167.

As shown in FIG. 2, when the lead screw 175 is rotated by the thread motor 153 through the first gear 185, the second gear 184, the third gear 183, and the worm gear 181, the carriage 172 is moved in the pickup arrangement hole 143 while being guided by the guide portion 176 to move the objective lens drive 171 in the radial direction of the disc-shaped recording medium 2.

(7) Configurations of the Biasing Device and the Eject Lever Locking Device

The biasing device 106 exerts on the eject lever 105 a turning force in the cartridge discharging direction, and also exerts a biasing force for pulling the eject lever 105 toward the chassis 103.

As shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, the biasing device 106 is composed by use of a coil spring, and is disposed on the lower side of the chassis 103. One end side of the biasing device 106 is locked to a first spring locking portion 201 provided on the chassis 103, and the other end side is locked to a second spring locking portion 202 provided on the eject lever 105. The second spring locking portion 202 protrudes to the lower side of the chassis 103 through a cutout hole portion 203 provided in the chassis 103.

The eject lever locking device 107 is, when the eject lever 105 is turned against the biasing device 106 to a position where the disk cartridge 1 is entirely contained in the cartridge holder 102, engaged with the outside surface 105 j of the flat plate-like main portion 105 a of the eject lever 105 to thereby lock the eject lever 105 in the state of being incapable of returning turning.

The eject lever locking device 107 is formed by providing a boss-like projected portion on the upper surface of the chassis 103. The eject lever locking device 107 is configured to be disengaged from the outside surface 105 j when the flat plate-like main portion 105 a of the eject lever 105 is lifted up from the chassis 103 against the biasing force of the biasing device 106. The eject lever 105 disengaged from the eject lever locking device 107 is turned, with the flat plate-like main portion 105 a riding on the eject lever locking device 107, to thereby discharge the disk cartridge 1 from the cartridge holder 102. The unlocking device 108 functions to lift up the outside surface 105 j of the flat plate-like main portion 105 a of the eject lever 105 from the chassis 103 against the biasing force of the biasing device 106.

(8) Configuration of the Unlocking Device

The unlocking device 108 is formed separately from the cartridge holder 102 by use of a leaf spring material, and is mounted to the cartridge holder 102.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 6 and 7, the unlocking device 108 includes a mount portion (attachment portion) 108 a fixedly mounted (attached) to a side surface of the cartridge holder 102, a superposition portion 108 b continuous with the mount portion 108 a in the state of being bent roughly perpendicularly relative to the mount portion 108 a and superposed on the upper surface of an unlocking device mount portion 102 h formed by recessing the upper surface 102 a of the cartridge holder 102, an elastic piece portion 108 c which is continuous with the superposition portion 108 b in the state of being bent at an acute angle θ1 (about 80°) relative to the superposition portion 108 b, enters into the cartridge holder 102 through a cutout window portion 102 i provided in the upper surface 102 a of the cartridge holder 102 and extends to the side of the chassis 103, and an eject lever operation portion 108 d continuous with the elastic piece portion 108 c in the state of being bent at an obtuse angle θ2 (about 160°) relative to the elastic piece portion 108 c.

The eject lever operation portion 108 d includes an inclined surface portion 108 e pushed by a side surface 105 m of the operated portion 105 e of the eject lever 105 (detailed later) to flex the elastic piece portion 108 c, and an engagement portion 108 f engaged with the lower surface 105 n of the operated portion 105 e when the pushing of the inclined surface portion 108 e by the side surface 105 m of the operated portion 105 e is canceled and the elastic piece portion 108 c is returningly moved.

As shown in FIG. 7, the elastic piece portion 186 c is pressed against an elastic piece positioning portion 102 j provided on the lower surface of the unlocking device mount portion, 102 h to be thereby bent roughly perpendicularly and to be given a so-called pre-pressure, and is positioned in a predetermined position. The unlocking device 108 is formed by bending a spring plate material blanked into a predetermined shape.

As shown in FIG. 8, the eject lever operation portion 108 d is, in the process of moving the cartridge holder 102 from the cartridge insertion/draw-out position to the recording/reproduction position, moved in an escaping direction (the direction of arrow A), with its inclined surface portion 108 e pushed by the side surface 105 m of the operated portion 105 e of the eject lever 105. When the cartridge holder 102 is moved to the cartridge recording/reproduction position, the pushing of the inclined surface portion 108 e by the side surface 105 m of the operated portion 105 e is canceled, whereby the elastic piece portion 108 c is returningly moved, i.e., elastically returned, and the engagement portion 108 f is engaged with the lower surface 105 n of the operated portion 105 e, as shown in FIG. 9.

At the time of moving the cartridge holder 102 from the cartridge insertion/draw-out position to the recording/reproduction position after the recording and/or reproduction is finished, the eject lever 105 is lifted up through the lower surface 105 n of the operated portion 105 e of the eject lever 105 to be lifted up from the upper surface of the chassis 103, as shown in FIG. 10, so that the locking of the eject lever 105 by the eject lever locking device 107 is canceled, and the eject lever 105 is turned by the biasing force of the biasing device 106 to push out the disk cartridge 1 from the cartridge holder 102.

The unlocking device 108 is disposed in a free space as a roughly triangular dead space defined by the arcuate front surface 3 a of the cartridge body 3 of the disk cartridge 1 inserted in the cartridge holder 102 and one side surface and the front surface of the cartridge holder 102. In addition, the cartridge holder 102 is turnably mounted to the chassis 103, and cancels the locking of the eject lever 105 by the eject lever locking device 107 at the time of turning movement of the cartridge holder 102 from the cartridge insertion/draw-out position to the recording/reproduction position.

(9) Other Embodiments and Other Configurations

While the case of turning the eject lever 105 has been shown in the above embodiment, the eject lever 105 may be moved rectilinearly.

FIGS. 25 to 27 show an electronic apparatus 301, such as a game machine, on which the disk recording and/or reproduction apparatus 101 according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted. The electronic apparatus.301 is formed in a flat horizontally elongate shape; as shown in FIG. 25, a display portion 303 such as a liquid crystal display is disposed at a central portion on the side of the front surface 302 a of a casing 302 of the electronic apparatus 301, and a plurality of control keys 304 are disposed on both side portions. Besides, as shown in FIG. 26, a lid portion 305 capable of turning for opening and closing is provided at a central portion on the back side 302 a of the casing 302 of the electronic apparatus 301. In addition, as shown in FIG. 27, a cartridge holder 102 of the disk recording and/or reproduction apparatus 101 is mounted to the lid portion 305, and a chassis 103 of the disk recording and/or reproduction apparatus 101 is mounted to the side of the casing 302 so that when the lid portion 305 is opened, the cartridge holder 102 is also turned to be moved to the cartridge insertion/draw-out position.

It should be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications, combinations, sub-combinations and alterations may occur depending on design requirements and other factors insofar as they are within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof. 

1. A disk recording and/or reproduction apparatus comprising: a chassis; a recording and/or reproduction means provided on said chassis so as to perform recording and/or reproduction on a disk cartridge; a cartridge holder movably provided on said chassis to be movable between an insertion/draw-out position for inserting and drawing out said disk cartridge and a recording/reproduction position for recording and/or reproduction on said disk cartridge; an eject lever movably provided on said chassis to be moved between a loading operation finish position for making contact with said disk cartridge when a loading operation for loading said disk cartridge into said cartridge holder is finished and an ejecting operation finish position for making contact with said disk cartridge when an ejecting operation for ejecting said disk cartridge is finished; and a biasing means for biasing said eject lever toward said ejecting operation finish position; wherein said eject lever has a contact portion for contact with said disk cartridge, and, when said eject lever is moved to said ejecting operation finish position, the position of said contact portion is moved to a position higher than the position of said contact portion at the time when said eject lever is located at said loading position.
 2. The disk recording and/or reproduction apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said eject lever is so configured that the position of said contact portion is gradually raised along the direction from said loading operation finish position toward said ejecting operation finish position.
 3. The disk recording and/or reproduction apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said eject lever is turnably provided on said chassis.
 4. The disk recording and/or reproduction apparatus as set forth in claim 3, further comprising a projected portion provided in said chassis, said projected portion having an inclined surface with an upward gradient toward said ejecting operation finish position, wherein said eject lever is mounted on said projected portion, and is turned on said projected portion.
 5. The disk recording and/or reproduction apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said cartridge holder is provided to be turnable in the direction of approaching and spacing away from said chassis.
 6. The disk recording and/or reproduction apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said cartridge holder holds said disk cartridge provided with an arcuate surface on the tip end side thereof, and said contact portion makes contact with said arcuate surface.
 7. A disk recording and/or reproduction apparatus comprising: a casing; a display portion provided on the front side of said casing; a lid portion provided on the back side of said casing to be turningly openable and closable; a chassis contained in said casing; a recording and/or reproduction means provided on said chassis so as to perform recording and/or reproduction on a disk cartridge; a cartridge holder turnably provided on said chassis to be movable between an insertion/draw-out position for inserting and drawing out said disk cartridge and a recording/reproduction position for recording and/or reproduction on said disk cartridge, in conjunction with the turning operation of said lid portion; an eject lever movably provided on said chassis to be moved between a loading operation finish position for making contact with said disk cartridge when a loading operation for loading said disk cartridge into said cartridge holder is finished and an ejecting operation finish position for making contact with said disk cartridge when an ejecting operation for ejecting said disk cartridge is finished; and a biasing means for biasing said eject lever toward said ejecting operation finish position; wherein said eject lever has a contact portion for contact with said disk cartridge, and, when said eject lever is moved to said ejecting operation finish position, the position of said contact portion is moved to a position higher than the position of said contact portion at the time when said eject lever is located at said loading position. 